唯 meaning and stroke order
Only; alone; -ism (in Chinese, a prefix, often combined with a suffix such as 主義|主义[zhu3 yi4] or 論|论[lun4], e.g. 唯理論|唯理论[wei2 li3 lun4], rationalism)
How to write 唯, stroke by stroke
11 strokes in order. Each box adds the next stroke in red. Write top to bottom and left to right, and finish enclosing strokes last.
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Meaning of 唯
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- only
- alone
- -ism (in Chinese, a prefix, often combined with a suffix such as 主義|主义[zhu3 yi4] or 論|论[lun4], e.g. 唯理論|唯理论[wei2 li3 lun4], rationalism)
- yes
How 唯 is built
Components of the character.
Radical: 口 (mouth), shared by 428 characters on this site.
How to remember 唯
唯 is a mouth 口 next to a bird 隹 (zhuī). Picture a bird that opens its mouth and sings only one song, the sole tune it knows, to remember "only; sole."
唯 rarely stands alone in modern speech. It mostly appears in set words like 唯一 (wéiyī), 唯独 (wéidú) and 唯有 (wéiyǒu), and in philosophical terms for "-ism" such as 唯物主义 (wéiwù zhǔyì, materialism). Example: 他是我唯一的朋友。(Tā shì wǒ wéiyī de péngyou.) He is my only friend.
Common mistake: Learners often confuse 唯 with 谁 (shuí, who) and 维 (wéi, to maintain), which share the same 隹 part. Remember that 唯 has the mouth radical 口 on the left, while 谁 has the speech radical 讠 and 维 has the silk radical 纟.
Common words with 唯
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
唯 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Questions about 唯
How many strokes are in 唯?
唯 is written with 11 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 唯 mean?
唯 (wéi) means only; alone; -ism (in Chinese, a prefix, often combined with a suffix such as 主義|主义[zhu3 yi4] or 論|论[lun4], e.g. 唯理論|唯理论[wei2 li3 lun4], rationalism). A common word with it is 唯一 (wéiyī), meaning "only; sole".
How do you pronounce 唯?
唯 is pronounced wéi, in the second tone (rising).
What is the radical of 唯?
The radical of 唯 is 口, which carries the idea of "mouth". Dictionaries list 唯 under this radical.
Is 唯 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 唯 is part of the HSK 5 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard.
What is the difference between 唯一 and 只有?
唯一 (wéiyī) is an adjective meaning "the only one," as in 唯一的办法 (the only way). 只有 (zhǐyǒu) is used before a noun or a condition, as in 只有你知道 (only you know). 唯一 sounds a bit more formal and emphatic.
Is 唯 the same as 惟?
In many words they are interchangeable, and you may see 惟一 for 唯一 or 惟有 for 唯有, especially in older or formal texts. In modern standard writing 唯 is the more common choice for "only."